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Phinney 

History  of  the  Battle  at 

Lexington 


OF  THE 


BATTLE    AT    LEXINGTON, 


OX    THE    MORNING    OF    THE 


19TH    AFRX£,    1775. 


ELIAS   PHINNEY. 


PRINTED    BY   PHELPS  AND   FARNHAM, 

No.  5,  Court  Street. 

1825. 


OF  THE 


BATTLE    AT    LEXINGTON, 


ON    THE    MORNING    OF    THE 


19TH    APRIL,    1775. 


BY 


ELIAS  PHINNEY. 


PRINTED  BY  PHELPS  AND  FARNHAM, 
No.  5,  Court  Street. 

1825. 


FBAXKLijf  PEESS  : 

BAND,  AVERT,  4  Co.,  BOSTON. 

1875. 


TO    THE 

SURVIVING 
OFFICERS   AND    SOLDIERS 

OF    THE 

LEXINGTON    COMPANY    OF    MILITIA, 

WHO   RAISED    THE    FIRST   STANDARD   OF 

OPPOSITION  TO  BRITISH  TYRANNY, 

ON    THE   EVER-MEMORABLE    MORNING   OF   THE 


THIS 
HUMBLE,    THOUGH    SINCERE 

TRIBUTE   OF    GRATITUDE 

FOR    THEIR 
HEROICK    DEVOTEDNESS    TO    THE    CAUSE    OF    CIVIL    LIBERTY, 

DISPLAYED   ON 
THAT   TRYING   AND    MOMENTOUS    OCCASION, 


BY   THE   AUTHOR. 


BELIEVING  that  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  first  resistance  to 
British  tyranny  at  Lexington  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  April, 
1775,  may  be  of  interest  to  the  American  public  at  the  present 
time,  we  publish  this  facsimile  of  a  little  volume  faithfully  and 
truthfully  prepared  by  an  eminent  citizen  of  the  town  in  confornity 
with  a  vote  passed  Dec.  13,  1824. 

To  this  we  add  a  cut  of  the  battle,  from  an  old  well-authenticated 
picture,  showing  the  position  of  forces,  buildings,  &c. 

C.  A.  WELLINGTON. 
LEXINGTON,  April,  1875. 


JVO  apology,  it  is  presumed,  will  be  deemed  necessary  for  plac- 
ing before  the  publick,  at  this  time,  the  following  statement  of 
facts,  relative  to  the  affair  at  Lexington,  on  the  morning  of  the 
19th  of  April,  1775.  Tho.-e,  who  have  undertaken  to  relate  the 
events  of  that  day,  have  omitted  many  important  facts  and  cir- 
cumstances, the  tendency  of  which  has  been  to  diminish,  in  the 
publick  estimation,  the  importance  to  the  country  of  the  stand 
made  by  the  militia  of  Lexington  on  that  morning.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  evidence,  upon  which  historians  have  relied  for  inform- 
ation on  this  subject,  may,  no  doubt,  be  ascribed  as  the  cause  of 
this  omission.  This  consisted,  principally,  of  certain  ex  parte 
depositions  and  individual  statements,  taken  and  made  for  parti- 
cular purposes,  immediately  after  the  affair  happened.  Gen. 
Gage,  and  other  apologists  of  British  outrage,  had  asserted,  that 
the  people  of  Lexington  commenced  the  attack  upon  the  king's 
troops.  The  records  and  statements*  of  the  transactions  of  that 
morning,  which  have  been  generally  referred  to,  were  made  with 
a  view  of  contradicting  these  false  accounts, — of  giving  to  the 
conduct  of  the  British  soldiery  at  Lexington  the  effect  of  rousing 
the  just  indignation  of  an  oppressed  and  injured  people, — to 
exonerate  Capt.  Parker,  and  the  company  under  his  command, 
from  the  charge  of  rashness,  or  of  having  done  more  than  was 
actually  necessary  in  self-defence, — and  also  to  persuade  the 
people  of  this  country  and  of  Great  Britain,  that  the  king's  troops, 
in  the  attack  made  upon  the  militia  at  Lexington,  had  been  guilty 
of  an  act  of  the  most  deliberate  murder. — The  question,  then,  to 
be  decided  was,  whether  the  Americans  fired  FIRST,  not  whether 
they  fired  AT  ALL.  Besides,  the  principle  of  law,  that  a  person 
was  not  bound  to  state  any  facts  in  evidence,  which  might  tend 
to  criminate  himself,  was  as  well  known  at  that  day  as  at  the 
present.  The  struggle  had  just  commenced,  and  the  issue  was 

*  Depositions  of  Capt.  John  Parker  and  others, — Narrative  by  the 
Rev.  Jonas  Clark, — and  A  Letter  of  Rev.  William  Gordon  to  a  Gentle- 
man in  England,  published  in  this  country  in  1776. 


8 

ing  it  highly  probable,  that  the  people  of  this  colony  would  resist 
the  execution  of  their  bloody  and  tyrannical  proceedings,  passed 
another  law,  about  the  same  time,  providing,  that,  if  any  person 
should  be  indicted  for  murder  or  other  capital  offence  committed 
in  aiding  magistracy,  the  governour  might  send  such  person  to 
another  colony,  or  to  Great  Britain,  to  be  tried.*  This  was  pro- 
viding a  more  summary  mode  than  a  publick  mock  trial,  to  take 
the  life  of  the  accused  citizen,  and  subjected  him  at  once  to  the 
Briti.-h  bayonet. — In  the  first  place,  it  was  not  probable,  that  a 
grand  jury,  thus  selected  by  the  sheriff,  would  indict  the  soldier, 
who  might  be  guilty  of  murdering  a  citizen  ;  but,  if  this  unex- 
pected event  of  being  indicted  should  happen,  the  law  provided 
for  him  a  retreat  from  danger. 

Gen.  Gage  arrived  in  Boston  the  13th  May,  1774.  On  the 
6th  September  following,  the  delegates  of  Suffolk  county  re- 
solved, that  no  obedience  was  due  to  the  said  acts.  Gen.  Warren 
is  supposed  to  have  written  these  resolves,  which  were  afterward 
expressly  sanctioned  by  the  Continental  Congress.  In  the  same 
month,  the  Provincial  Congress  resolved  to  enlist  men  to  turn  out 
at  a  minute's  warning,  and  elected  three  generals,  Preble,  Ward 
and  Pomeroy.  In  November,  they  resolved  to  raise  twelve 
thousand  men,  and  that  a  fourth  part  of  the  militia  should  be  en- 
listed as  minute  men,  and  notified  the  neighbouring  colonies,  and 
the  ministers  of  the  several  towns  in  the  province,  of  these  bold 
and  patriotick  resolutions,  and  apprized  them  of  the  bloody 
scenes,  which  they  apprehended  to  be  approaching. 

In  the  same  month  of  November,  the  king  informed  his  Par- 
liament, that  he  bad  taken  measures  to  carry  these  laws  into  ex- 
ecution, which  the  House  of  Commons,  in  their  answer,  approved, 
as  did  also  the  House  of  Lords.  At  this  portentous  moment, 
Lord  Chatham,  who  clearly  perceived,  that  some  catastrophe, 
awful  and  tremendous  to  England,  would  soon  take  place  in 
Massachusetts,  suddenly  appeared  in  the  House  of  Peers,  and 
exerted  his  utmost  eloquence  to  have  the  British  troops  removed 
from  Boston  ;  but  in  vain. 

On  the  9th  February,  1775,  the  Lords  and  Commons  jointly 
addressed  the  king,  and  requested  him  to  enforce  obedience  to 

*  Eolmes's  Annals,  Vol.  n.  page  308. 


9 

these  laws,  and  assured  him  they  would  stand  by  him  with  their 
lives  and  property.* 

On  the  same  9th  day  of  February,  the  Provincial  Congress  of 
Massachusetts,  then  in  session  at  Cambridge,  resolved,  that  "  Jede- 
diah  Preble,  Artemas  Ward,  Sath  Pomeroy,  John  Thomas,  and 
William  Heath,  be,  and  hereby  are  appointed  general  officers, 
whose  business  and  duty  it  shall  be,  with  such  and  so  many  of 
the  militia  of  this  province  as  r>hall  be  assembled  by  order  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety,  effectually  to  oppose  and  resist  such  attempt 
or  attempts  as  shall  be  made  for  carrying  into  execution  an  act  of 
the  British  Parliament,  entitled  '  An  Act  for  the  better  regulation 
of  the  government  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New 
England,'  and  who  shall  attempt  the  carrying  into  execution  by 
force  another  act  of  the  British  Parliament,  entitled  '  An  Act 
for  the  more  impartial  administration  of  justice  in  cases  of  per- 
sons, who  shall  be  questioned  for  any  act  done  by  them  in  the 
execution  of  the  law,  or  for  the  suppression  of  riots  and  tumults 
in  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,'  so  long  as  the  said  mili- 
tia shall  be  retained  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  no  longer. 
And  the  said  general  officers  shall,  while  in  said  service,  com- 
mand, lead,  and  conduct  in  the  said  opposition,  in  the  order 
in  which  they  are  above  named."  Preble  declined  the  service, 
and,  on  the  15th  February,  John  Whitcomb  was  appointed  in  his 
place,  f 

The  nature  and  object  of  the  laws  mentioned  in  this  resolve, 
have  been  before  explained.  This  resolve,  which  is,  in  fact,  little 
short  of  a  declaration  of  war  against  an  empire,  at  that  time, 
perhaps,  the  most  powerful  in  the  eastern  hemisphere,  by  one 
of  its  provinces,  is  very  remarkable  for  its  calm  language,  mi- 
nute details,  and  great  precision.  It  indicates  the  great  dignity 
and  the  exalted  patriotism  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and.  at 
the  same  time,  is  demonstrative  of  a  consciousness,  that  the  jus- 
tice of  their  cause  did  not  admit  of  a  doubt.  The  contrast  ex- 
hibited by  the  king's  speech,  and  the  Parliamentary  proceedings 
of  the  same  period,  is  equally  remarkable.  In  them,  violent  de- 
nunciations indicate  the  tumult  and  rage  of  unprincipled  men, 

*  Holmes's  Annals,  Vol.  II.  t  Heath's  Memoirs. 

2 


10 

conscious,  that  they  were  exerting  a  mighty  force  in  a  wicked 
and  infamous  cause. 

The  immediate  cause,  then,  of  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  was 
the  attempt  of  the  British  troops  to  carry  into  -execution  these 
arbitrary  and  detestable  laws,  directly,  by  seizing  the  persons  of 
some  eminent  patriots,  and  indirectly,  by  destroying  the  Provin- 
cial stores.  The  issue,  for  the  trial  of  which  the  appeal  to  arms 
was  finally  made,  was,  whether  the  British  king  and  his  soldiers 
should  take  the  lives  of  our  citizens  at  their  pleasure. 

The  town  of  Lexington  is  about  twelve  miles  north-west  of 
Boston,  and  six  miles  south-east  of  Concord.  It  was  originally  a 
part  of  Cambridge,  and,  previous  to  its  separation  from  that  town, 
was  called  the  "  Cambridge  Farms."  The  act  of  incorporation 
bears  date  March  20, 1712.  The  inhabitants  consist  principally  of 
hardy  and  independent  yeomanry.  In  1775,  the  list  of  enrolled 
militia  bore  the  names  of  over  one  hundred  citizens. 

The  road  leading  from  Boston  divides  near  the  centre  of  the 
village  in  Lexington.  The  part  leading  to  Concord  passes  to  the 
]eft,  and  that  leading  to  Bedford  to  the  right  of  the  meeting- 
house, and  form  two  sides  of  a  triangular  green  or  common, 
on  the  south  corner  of  which  stands  the  meeting-house, 
facing  directly  down  the  road  leading  to  Boston.  The  road 
is  perfectly  straight  for  about  one  hundred  rods  below  the 
meeting-house,  and  nearly  level.  The  common  is  a  pleasant, 
level  green,  containing  about  two  acres,  surrounded  by  trees, 
having,  on  the  left,  a  gently  rising  knoll,  on  which  stands  a  monu- 
ment, of  granite,  "  erected  by  the  town  in  1799,  under  the 
patronage  and  at  the  expense  of  the  Commonwealth,"  and  bears 
the  names  of  those  who  "  fell  the  first  victims  to  the  sword"  of 
British  aggression,  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775. 
The  meeting-house,  which  was  built  in  1794,  stands  about  twenty 
feet  north  of  the  ground,  on  which  the  former  house  stood.  At 
the  right  of  the  meeting-house,  and  separated  from  it  by  the  road 
leading  to  Bedford,  stands  the  tavern  house,  late  Buckman's, 
now  Meriam's.  On  the  north  side  of  the  green,  in  the  rear  of  the 
meeting-house,  at  about  twenty  rods  distant,  are  a  number  of 
buildings,  standing  nearly  on  a  line,  which  forms  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  common.  North  of  these  is  a  tract  of  low, 


swampy  ground ;  behind  which  the  land  becomes  hilly.  The 
other  grounds  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  village  are  hilly  and 
broken. 

At  a  veiy  early  period  of  those  controversies  with  the  mother 
country,  which  preceded  the  revolutionary  war,  the  inhabitants 
of  Lexington  took  a  firm  and  decided  stand  in  favour  of  the 
rights  and  liberties  of  the  province.  On  all  questions,  which 
agitated  the  publick  mind,  they  unanimously  acted  with  prompt- 
ness and  energy.  Earnest  in  their  professions  of  attachment  to 
the  common  cause,  they  cheerfully  made  every  sacrifice,  which 
the  common  good  required.  Their  pastor,  the  late  Rev.  Jonas 
Clark,  had  been  their  minister  from  the  year  1755.  His  alli- 
ance, by  marriage,  to  the  family  of  John  Hancock*  led  to  an 
intimacy  between  them,  which  subsisted  as  long  as  Gov.  Han- 
cock lived.  To  this  circumstance  may,  in  some  measure,  be  at- 
tributed the  early  participation,  as  well  as  the  firm  and  spirited 
patriotism  manifested  by  Mr.  Clark,  on  all  subjects  connected 
with  the  liberty  and  independence  of  the  country.  Few  men 
could  appeal  to  the  hearts  or  understandings  of  their  hearers 
with  better  effect ;  and  no  clergyman  did  more  to  strengthen  the 
hands  and  encourage  the  hearts  of  his  people.  To  a  mind  well 
endowed  with  practical  knowledge,  Mr.  Clark  joined  an  unusual 
share  of  well  directed  zeal,  and  an  ardency  of  character,  which 
would  have  gained  him  distinction  in  a  sphere  much  more  ele- 
vated than  the  one,  in  which  he  was  destined  to  move.  His 
spirited  eloquence  was  employed,  ou  all  proper  occasions,  in 
rousing  his  hearers  to  a  sense  of  the  dangers,  which  threatened 
their  liberties,  and  in  urging  them  to  the  adoption  of  measures, 
which  might  either  avert,  or  enable  them  to  meet  without  dis- 
may the  impending  crisis. 

The  records  of  the  town  of  Lexington  furnish  ample  and 
honourable  testimony  of  the  interest  which  was  felt,  and  the 
zeal  with  which  the  inhabitants  participated  in  those  important 

*  Mrs.  Clark's  mother  was  the  sister  of  Gov.  Hancock.  The  Rev. 
John  Hancock,  grandfather  of  Gov.  Hancock,  was  the  immediate  pre- 
decessor of  Mr.  Clark,  in  the  ministry,  at  Lexington.  His  eldest  son, 
the  Rev.  John  Hancock  of  Braintree,  a  highly  accomplished  preacher, 
was  father  of  the  governonr. 


12 

publick  measures,  -which  resulted  in  our  glorious  revolution. 
In  1765,  the  inhabitants,  in  publick  town  meeting,  unanimously 
expressed  their  disapprobation  of  the  stamp  act.  They  com- 
plained, "  that  it  was  unequal,  unjust,  and  imposing  a  yoke  upon 
them  too  heavy  to  be  borne, — a  direct  violation  of  the  rights  and 
privileges  secured  to  them  by  the  charter."  At  the  same  time, 
they  instructed  their  "representative  in  the  Great  and  General 
Court  not  to  encourage,  aid  or  assist  in  the  execution  of  said  act ; 
but  to  endeavour,  as  far  as  consistent  with  allegiance  and  duty  to 
their  lightful  sovereign,  by  all  calm  and  dispassionate,  but  with 
firm,  explicit  and  resolute  measures,  to  assert  their  charter  rights 
and  privileges;  and  to  have  the  same  so  entered  upon  record, 
that  the  world  might  see,  and  future  generations  know,  that  the 
present  both  knew  and  valued  their  lights,  and  did  not  tamely 
resign  them  for  chains  and  slavery." 

At  a  publick  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  in  1768, 
called  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the  distressing 
situation  of  the  province,  after  reciting  the  charter  of  William 
and  Maiy,  by  which  all  the  rights  and  immunities  of  free  and 
natural  subjects,  which,  were  enjoyed  by  those  born  within  the 
realm  of  England,  were  granted  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  pro- 
vince, and  that  the  General  Court  therein  constituted  have  the 
sole  right  to  impose  all  taxes  necessary  for  the  support  of  his 
majesty's  government  of  the  province,  and  the  protection  of  his 
subjects  therein,  it  was  resolved,  "that  the  attempt  of  tho 
Biiiish  Parliament  to  levy  money  within  this  province,  in  any 
other  manner  than  is  pointed  out  by  the  said  royal  charter,  is  a 
violation  thereof."  They  protested  against  the  right  of  the  king 
or  Parliament  to  tax  them,  except  by  their  own  consent,  or  by 
representatives  of  their  own  free  election ;  or  to  maintain  stand- 
ing armies  among  them  in  time  of  peace.  At  the  same  time, 
they  made  choice  of  a  suitable  person  "  to  join  such  as  were,  or 
might  be,  sent  from  the  several  towns  in  the  province,  to  consult 
and  advise  what  might  be  best  for  the  publick  good  at  that  criti- 
cal juncture." 

In  December,  1772,  they  earnestly  recommended  to  their 
representative  in «'  the  Great  Court  of  Inquest  for  the  Province," 
"  to  use  his  utmost  influence,  by  all  impartial  and  dispassionate 


13 

measures,  to  effect  a  radical  and  lasting  redress  of  their  grievan- 
ces, so  that,  whether  successful  or  nob,  succeeding  generations 
might  know,  that  they  understood  their  rights  and  liberties,  and 
were  neither  ashamed  nor  afraid  to  assert  and  maintain  them  ; 
and  that  they  might  have  the  consolation,  in  their  chains,  that  it 
was  not  through  their  neglect,  that  the  people  were  enslaved." 

In  December,  1773,  the  towu  unanimously  resolved,  that 
they  would  not,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  be  concerned  in 
buying,  selling  or  using  any  of  the  teas  sent  out  by  the  East 
India  Company,  or  that  should  be  imported,  subject  to  a  duty 
imposed  by  an  act  of  Parliament  made  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
a  revenue  in  Ameiica;  and  that  if  any  head  of  a  family  in  that 
town,  or  any  other  person,  should,  from  that  time  forth,  or  until 
the  duty  was  taken  off,  purchase,  use  or  consume  any  tea  in  their 
families,  they  should  be  treated  with  neglect  and  contempt. 

During  the  year  1774,  numerous  town  meetings  were  held,  at 
winch  it  was  "voted  to  renew  and  increase  the  town's  stock  of 
ammunition ;"  to  encourage  military  discipline,  and  to  put 
themselves  in  a  posture  of  defence  against  their  enemies."  It 
was  expected,  at  this  time,  that  the  British  Parliament  would 
soon  attempt  to  enforce  their  arbitrary  and  tyrannical  law, 
passed  as  before  stated,  "  for  the  better  regulation  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay."  The  "  train- 
ing band"  and  "  alarm  list"  were  desired  to  meet  on  the  12th 
December,  1774,  to  receive  arms  and  ammunition,  which  had 
been  provided  at  the  expense  of  the  town ;  and,  on  the  28th  De- 
cember, it  was  voted  to  supply  the  "  training  soldiers"  with 
bayonets. 

By  these  spirited,  but  cool  and  dispassionate  measures,  the 
town  of  Lexington  manifested  their  hatred  to  oppression,  and 
their  devotcdness  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  Their  proceedings 
in  town  meetings  were  succeeded  by  deliberate  preparations  to 
resist  the  encroachments  of  arbitrary  power ;  till  at  length  they 
came  to  the  resolute  determination,  as  their  last  and  only  resort, 
to  defend  their  rights  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

The  Provincial  Congress  had  been  in  session  for  some  time 
at  Concord,  and  were  about  adjourning,  on  the  30th  March,  '75, 


14 

when  some  representations,  made  by  those,  who  had  suffered  by 
the  depredations  of  the  British  troops,  on  their  recent  excursion 
to  Jamaica  Plains,  kept  them  together  until  the  2d  of  April.* 
On  that  day,  they  received  information,  by  an  arrival  from  Fal- 
mouth  in  England,  of  the  obnoxious  proceedings  of  the  king  and 
Parliament  on  the  9th  of  February.  This  information  was  com- 
municated to  the  people  before  the  governour  had  received  his 
despatches,  which  were  brought  by  the  vessel  from  Falmouth. 
From  some  intimations,  contained  in  an  intercepted  letter,  by 
the  same  vessel,  from  a  Mr.  Manduit  in  England  to  Commissary 
Hallowell,  it  was  reported,  that  some  of  the  leading  patriots  of 
the  province  were  to  be  seized  and  tried  under  the  provisions 
of  that  wicked  and  sanguinary  law  of  February,  1774,  by  which 
the  lives  of  our  best  citizens  might  be  taken  in  a  manner  embrac- 
ing the  form  of  a  trial,  but,  in  fact,  a  mere  judicial  mockery.  The 
people  of  the  province,  then,  were  reduced  to  the  alternative  of 
open  hostilities,  or  cruel  and  abject  slavery.  Freemen,  who  knew 
and  valued  their  privileges,  did  not  hesitate  as  to  the  course  to 
be  pursued.  They  had  been  exhorted  at  trainings,  and  from  the 
sacred  desk,  to  defend  their  constitutional  rights,  and  to  fight 
manfully  in  the  cause  of  "  God  and  their  country." 

John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams  were  at  this  time  attend- 
ing the  Provincial  Congress.  The  active  and  inflexible  patriot- 
ism of  these  friends  to  liberty,  had  exposed  them  to  the  severe 
animadversions  of  men  in  power.  In  consequence  of  the  recent 
measures  of  the  king  and  Parliament,  they  were  persuaded  by 
their  friends  not  to  return  to  Boston  immediately  after  the  ter- 
mination of  the  session.  They  had  passed  their  nights,  during 
the  session,  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clark  in  Lexington  ; 
and  they  tarried  there  from  the  time  it  closed  until  the  morning 
of  the  19th  of  April. 

Under  a  pretence  of  teaching  the  grenadiers  and  light  in- 
fantry a  new  mode  of  exercising,  Gen.  Gage  had  detached 
about  eight  hundred  of  these  from  the  main  body  of  his  troops, 
and  marched  them  to  another  part  of  the  town  of  Boston.  The 
real  object  of  this  movement  was,  however,  suspected  by  Gen. 

*  Gordon's  Letter. 


15 

Warren,  and  immediately  communicated  to  his  friends  in  the 
neighbouring  country  towns.  This  took  place  a  few  days  before 
they  marched  for  Concord. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  18th,  Gen.  Gage  sent  out  a  number  of 
his  officers,  a  part  of  them  through  Roxbury,  and  a  part  over  the 
ferry,  through  Charlestown,  to  reconnoitre  and  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  people,  and,  at  a  proper  time,  to  seize  and  detain  all 
persons  on  the  road,  whom  they  might  suspect  of  being  engaged 
in  carrying  intelligence  of  the  intended  march  of  his  troops  to 
Concord.  Solomon  Brown,  of  Lexington,  who  had  been  to 
market  at  Boston  on  the  18th,  returned  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and  informed  Col.  William  Munroe,  then  an  orderly  sergeant  of 
the  militia  company,  that  he  had  seen  nine  British  officers, 
dressed  in  blue  great  coats,  passing  leisurely  up  the  road,  some- 
times before  and  sometimes  behind  him,  armed,  as  he  had  dis- 
covered by  the  occasional  blowing  aside  of  their  great  coats. 
Munroe,  suspecting  their  intention  was  to  seize  Hancock  and 
Adams,  immediately  collected  a  guaid  of  eight  men,  well  armed 
and  equipped,  and  placed  them,  with  himself  at  their  head,  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Clark,  which  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  main  road  leading  to  Concord.  The  Committee  of  Safety, 
then  in  session  in  the  westerly  part  of  Cambridge,  also  sent  in- 
formation to  Hancock  and  Adams  of  the  approach  of  these 
officers.  They  passed  through  town  early  in  the  evening  on  the 
road  to  Concord. 

Small  parties  of  British  officers,  in  the  spring  of  that  year, 
had  frequently  been  seen*  making  excursions  into  the  country, 
early  in  the  day,  and  returning  before  evening.  But  the  unu- 
sually late  hour  of  their  passing  up,  at  this  time,  excited  the  at- 
tention of  the  citizens,  and  drew  together,  at  an  early  hour  of 
the  evening,  about  thirty  of  the  militia,  well  armed,  and  ready 
for  any  emergency,  to  which  the  critical  and  alarming  state 
of  things  might  suddenly  call  them.  It  had  been  currently 
reported,  that  the  British  had  threatened,  that  Hancock  and 
Adams  should  not  stay  at  Lexington;  and  it  was  generally  be- 
lieved to  be  the  object  of  the  officers,  who  had  passed  up,  to 
return  secretly,  at  a  late  hour  of  the  night,  and  seize  and  carry 
them  to  Boston.  After  some  consultation,  it  was  concluded 


16 

by  the  persons  present  to  send  three  of  their  number,  Saunders, 
Brown,  and  Loring,  toward  Concord,  to  watch  the  British  offi- 
cers, and  endeavour  to  ascertain  and  give  information  of  their 
movements.  In  the  borders  of  Lincoln,  the  whole  three  were 
taken  prisoners  by  the  British  officers,  who  were  paraded  across 
the  road.  During  the  time  they  held  our  men  in  custody,  they 
took  two  other  prisoners,  Col.  Paul  Revere,  and  one  Allen,  a 
one-handed  pedlar.  Shortly  after  they  released  Allen.  They 
also  attempted  to  stop  a  young  man,  by  the  name  of  Prcscott, 
belonging  to  Concord ;  but,  being  well  mounted,  he  turned  from 
the  road  into  the  field,  and,  putting  spurs  to  his  horse,  escaped. 
Several  of  the  officers  pursued,  but  could  not  overtake  him. 

At  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  18th,  a  detach- 
ment of  British  troops,  consisting  of  grenadiers  and  light  infan- 
try, in  all  about  eight  hundred,  embarked  from  Boston  in  boats, 
and  landed  at  Lechmere's  Point  in  Cambridge,  just  as  the  moon 
rose.  To  prevent  discovery,  they  took  a  by-path  leading  to  the 
main  road,  which  obliged  them  to  wade  through  marshy  places 
and  water  to  a  considerable  depth. 

Soon  after  these  troops  had  left,  sentinels  were  posted  at  every 
avenue  of  the  town,  to  prevent  carrying  the  intelligence  of  their 
march  into  the  country.  Previously,  however,  Gen.  Warren, 
ever  watchful  and  active  in  devising,  as  he  was  undaunted  in 
executing,  the  best  measures  for  the  safety  of  the  country,  had 
despatched  two  messengers,  Col.  Paul  Revere  and  a  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, with  information  to  Hancock  and  Adams.  Revere  passed 
over  the  ferry  to  Charlestown,  procured  a  horse  of  the  late 
Deacon  Larkin,  and  rode  with  all  speed  to  Lexington,  where  he 
arrived  a  little  after  midnight.  The  family  of  Mr.  Clark  had 
tired  to  rest.  On  the  arrival  of  Revere,  he  was  hailed  by  the 
guard,  and  stopped.  He  desired  to  be  admitted  to  the  house. 
Munroe,  not  knowing  him,  nor  the  object  of  his  errand,  refused  to 
let  him  pass,  stating,  that  the  family  had  just  retired  to  rest, 
and  had  desired,  that  they  might  .not  be  disturbed  by  any  noise 
about  the  house.  "Noise!"  said  Revere,  "you'll  soon  have  a 
noise,  that  will  disturb  you  all.  The  British  troops  are  on  their 
march,  and  will  soon  be  among  you."  He  passed  without  fur- 
ther ceremony,  and  knocked  at  the  door.  Mr.  Clark  immedi- 


17 

ately  opened  a  window,  and  inquired  who  was  there.  Revere, 
without  replying  to  the  question,  said  he  wished  to  see  Mr. 
Hancock.  Mr.  Clark,  with  his  usual  deliberation,  was  going  on 
to  observe,  that  it  was  a  critical  time,  and  he  did  not  like  to 
admit  people  into  his  house,  at  that  time  of  night,  without  first 
knowing  their  business,  when  Hancock,  who  had  retired  to  rest, 
but  not  to  sleep,  knew  Revere's  voice,  and  cried  out,  "  Come  in, 
Revere  ;  we  are  not  afraid  of  you."  Shortly  after,  Mr.  Lincoln, 
who  had  come  by  the  way  of  Roxbury,  arrived.  They  both 
brought  written  communications  from  Gen.  Warren,  "  That  a 
large  body  of  the  king's  troops,  (supposed  to  be  a  brigade  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred,)  were  embarked  in  boats  from  Boston, 
and  gone  over  to  Lechmere's  Point  in  Cambridge,  and  it  was 
suspected,  they  were  ordered  to  seize  and  destroy  the  stores 
belonging  to  the  colony,  then  deposited  at  Concord." 

It  was  immediately  decided  to  alarm  the  militia ;  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  guard  were  sent  off  for  that  purpose.  Two  of  their 
number  went  toward  Cambridge,  to  ascertain  the  movements  of 
the  troops.  For  the  better  security  of  the  persons  of  Hancock 
and  Adams,  they  were  advised  to  retire  to  the  house  of  a  Mr. 
Reed,  at  the  north  part  of  the  town.  To  this  Hancock  objected 
in  the  strongest  terms,  decl  .ring,  "  it  never  should  be  said  of 
him,  that  he  had  turned  his  back  upon  the  British."  His  preser- 
vation was  urged  to  be  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  country, 
and,  being  destitute  of  arms,  he  could  do  but  little  in  opposing  the 
British  troops.  He,  at  length,  very  reluctantly  consented,  and 
Col.  Munroe  conducted  him,  in  company  with  Adams,  about 
two  miles  to  the  northward  of  Mr.  Clark's.  Revere  set  off  for 
Concord  to  alarm  the  people  of  that  town,  but  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  British  officers,  as  before  stated,  near  Brooks's  in 
Lincoln.  They  examined  him  very  closely, — asked  many 
questions,  to  all  of  which  he  gave  evasive  answers.  They  de- 
tained him,  with  the  other  three  prisoners  from  Lexington,  till 
near  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when,  finding  no  prospect  of 
escape,  Revere,  in  his  turn,  attempted  to  frighten  them,  by  telling 
them,  in  a  very  triumphant  tone  of  voice,  "  Gentlemen,  you 
have  missed  your  aim.  I  left  Boston  after  your  troops  had 
landed  at  Lechmere's  Point,  and  if  I  had  not  been  certain,  that 
3 


18 

the  people,  to  the  distance  of  fifty  miles  into  the  country,  had 
been  notified  of  your  movements,  I  would  have  risked  one  shot, 
before  you  should  have  taken  me."  Another  told  them,  "The 
bell's  ringing,  the  country  is  alarmed,  and  you  are  all  dead 
men."  This  appeared,  in  some  measure,  to  alarm  the  officers. 
After  a  few  moments'  consultation  among  themselves,  they  set 
off  on  their  return  to  Lexington,  keeping  possession  of  their  four 
prisoners,  till  within  a  short  distance  of  the  meeting-house,  when 
they  halted,  and  ordered  their  prisoners  to  dismount,  and  then, 
after  cutting  in  pieces  the  bridles  and  saddles  of  the  horses,  on 
which  the  prisoners  rode,  they  abandoned  them,  and  rode  off  at 
full  gallop  toward  Boston. 

The  alarm  had  spread  so  rapidly  through  Lexington,  that,  by 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  militia  company  had  nearly  all 
assembled.  Capt.  Parker  ordered  the  roll  to  be  called,  and 
every  man  to  charge  his  gun  with  powder  and  ball.  After  re- 
maining on  parade  for  some  time,  one  of  the  messengers,  who 
had  been  sent  toward  Boston,  returned  and  reported,  he  could 
not  learn  that  the  regulars  were  coming  This  raised  some 
doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  account  brought  by  Revere, 
and,  the  weather  being  cool,  the  company  were  dismissed,  with 
orders  to  appear  again  at  the  beat  of  the  drum.  Some  of  them, 
whose  houses  were  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  place 
of  parade,  went  home;  but  the  greater  part  of  the  company 
went  into  Buckman's  tavern,  near  the  meeting-house. 

The  march  of  the  British  troops  was  silent  and  rapid.  One 
of  the  messengers,  sent  by  our  people  to  ascertain  if  they  were 
coming,  was  surprised  before  he  was  aware  of  their  approach, 
and  taken  prisoner  in  Cambridge.*  They  thus  continued  their 
march  undiscovered,  taking  and  detaining  as  prisoners  every 
person  they  met  with  on  the  road,  till  they  had  arrived  within  a 
mile  and  a  half  of  Lexington  meeting-house.  In  order  to  se- 
cure persons  travelling  upon  the  road,  they  would  send  two 
soldiers  at  a  considerable  distance  in  advance  of  the  main  body, 
with  orders  to  secrete  themselves,  one  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
and  when  any  one  approached,  they  would  allow  him  to  pass 

*  Rev.  Mr.  Clark's  Narrative. 


19 


them,  so  as  to  get  between  them  and  the  troops,  and  then  rise 
and  close  upon  him.  In  this  way  they  had  taken  a  number  of 
our  men,  who  had  been  sent  to  get  information  of  their  approach. 
Thaddeus  Bowman,  the  last  one  sent  on  this  business,  was 
riding  pretty  rapidly  down  the  road,  and  had  proceeded  about  a 
mile  and  a  half,  when  his  horse  became  suddenly  frightened, 
stopped,  and  refused  to  go  forward.  In  a  moment  he  discovered 
the  cause.  Two  British  soldiers  were  perceived  just  ahead, 
sitting  on  opposite  sides  of  the  way,  close  to  the  fence.  It  was 
then  day-light.  While  Bowman  was  unsuccessfully  endeavour- 
ing, by  all  the  means  of  whip  and  spur,  to  urge  his  horse  forward, 
not  conceiving  of  their  plan  to  entrap  him,  he  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  main  body  of  the  British  troops,  then  about  twenty  rods 
off.  He  instantly  turned  his  horse,  and  rode  with  all  possible 
speed  to  the  meeting-house,  and  gave  Capt.  Parker  the  first  cer- 
tain intelligence  of  the  approach  of  the  king's  troops.  About 
the  same  time  that  Bowman  discovered  them,  a  flanking  party 
made  prisoner  of  Benjamin  Wellington,  who  was  within  about 
ten  rods  of  the  main  road,  on  his  way  to  join  the  company  at  the 
meeting-house.  They  took  his  arms  from  him,  and,  on  his  promise 
to  return  home,  he  was  released.  Wellington,  however,  took 
a  cross  route  to  the  meeting-house,  and  reached  there  soon  after 
Bowman.  There  was  no  longer  any  doubt,  that  the  regulars 
were  coming.  Capt.  Parker  ordered  alarm  guns  to  be  fired,  and 
the  drum  beat  to  arms.  The  orderly  sergeant,  William  Munroe, 
was  ordered  to  parade  the  men  in  two  ranks  a  few  rods  north  of 
the  meeting-house.  Sixty  or  seventy  had  joined  the  ranks.  At  a 
little  before  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  enemy  appeared,  at 
the  distance  of  eighty  or  a  hundred  rods  from  our  line.  Hearing 
the  drum  beat  to  arms,  and  supposing  it  to  be  a  challenge,*  and 
seeing  the  militia  parading  in  arms,  they  were  ordered  to  halt, 
charge  their  guns,  double  their  ranks,  and  then  to  march  at 
double  quick  time. 

That  so  small  a  number  of  raw  and  inexperienced  militia 
should  have  been,  in  some  degree,  appalled  at  the  formidable  ap- 
pearance made  by  eight  hundred  regular  troops,!  is  not  surpris- 

*  Appendix,   No.  2. 
t  Then  supposed  to  be  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred. 


20 

ing.  Some  of  Capt.  Paikcr's  men,  seeing  the  British  load  their 
muskets,  and  noticing  their  quick  movements,  showed  an  inclina- 
tion to  quit  the  ranks;  on  which  the  captain  gave  orders  for 
every  man  to  stand  his  ground,  and  said  be  would  order  the  first 
man  shot,  who  should  leave  his  post.*  Others  expressed  their 
determination  "never  to  run."  At  the  same  time,  they  wore 
strictly  ordered  by  Capt.  Parker  not  to  fire,  unless  they  were 
attacked  by  the  enemy.  The  British  troops  came  up  shouting, 
and  almost  upon  a  run,  till  within  about  ten  rods  of  our  line. 
Their  commander,  Lieut.  Col.  Smith,  advanced  a  few  rods,  and 
exclaimed,  "  Lay  down  your  arms  and  disperse,  you  damned 
rebels! — Rush  on  my  boys! — Fire!"  and  fired  his  own  pistol. 
The  order  to  fire  not  being  instantly  obeyed,  he  again  called  out, 
brandishing  his  sword  with  great  fury,  "Fire,  G — d  damn  you  ! 
fire  !"  The  first  platoon  then  fired  over  the  heads  of  our  men. 
Col.  Smith  repeating  his  order  to  "  fire,"  a  general  discharge 
from  the  front  ranks  was  made  directly  into  the  American  ranks. 
On  receiving  the  fire  of  the  first  platoon,  the  Provincials  imagin- 
ed (he  regulars  had  fired  nothing  but  powder,  and  did  not  offer 
to  return  it;  but,  on  the  second  discharge,  seeing  some  of  their 
numbers  fall,  and  others  wounded,  they  no  longer  hesitated  as 
to  their  right  to  resist,  and  some  of  them  immediately  returned 
the  fire.  Jonas  Parker,  John  Munroe,  and  Ebenezer  Munroe,  Jun. 
and  some  others,  fired,  before  leaving  the  line.  At  the  same 
time,  Solomon  Brown,  who  was  not  enrolled  in  the  militia,  was 
seen  to  fire  from  a  wall  near  the  left  of  our  line,  and*  another 
person  was  seen  to  fire  from  the  back  door  of  Buckman's  house. 
These  and  some  others  fired,  immediately  on  receiving  the 
second  fire  from  the  British.  Jonas  Parker  placed  his  ammuni- 
tion in  his  hat,  upon  the  ground,  between  his  feet.  He  was 
wounded  and  fell  on  the  second  fire  from  the  enemy.  After 
this,  he  discharged  his  piece,  and  even  attempted  to  load  a 
second  time.  He  had  been  frequently  heard  to  say,  he  "  would 
never  run  from  the  British  troops."  He  redeemed  his  pledge, 
though  with  the  price  of  his  life.  While  attempting  to  load  his 
piece  a  second  time,  the  British  soldiers  came  up,  and  run  him 

*  Appendix,  No.  8 


21 

through  with  the  bayonet.  Ebenezer  Munroe,  Jun.  aimed  and 
fired,  after  receiving  one  ball  through  his  arm  ;  another  had  grazed 
his  cheek,  and  a  third  passed  between  his  arm  and  body,  marking 
his  coat.  John  Munroe,  after  having  fired,  retreated  a  few  rods, 
loaded  his  piece  a  second  time  with  two  balls,  and  discharged  it 
at  the  enemy.  One  of  our  men  was  seen  firing  from  Buckman's 
front  door.  The  effects  of  the  fire  returned  at  him  by  the  enemy 
are  now  visible  on  the  sides  of  the  door.  Nathan  Munroe,  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Tidd,  and  others,  retreated  a  short  distance,  and  fired. 
The  regulars  continued  to  fire  as  long  as  they  could  see  a  man 
of  Capt.  Parker's  company  in  arnn.  Jonas  Parker,  Isaac  Muzzy, 
Jonathan  Harrington,  and  Robert  Munroe,  were  killed  on  the 
common,  on  and  near  where  our  line  was  formed ;  Samuel 
Hadley  and  John  Brown,  after  they  had  gotten  off  the  common. 
Asahel  Porter,  of  Woburn,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the 
British  on  their  march  to  Lexington,  attempted  at  this  time  to 
make  his  escape,  and  was  shot  within  a  few  rods  of  the  common. 
Caleb  Harrington,  who,  with  three  others,  had  gone  into  the 
meeting-house  for  the  purpose  of  replenishing  their  stock  of 
powder,  just  before  the  British  troops  came  up,  was  killed  on 
attempting  to  run  from  the  house.* 

Joshua  Sirrronds  was  one  of  the  four,  that  went  into  the 
meeting-house  for  the  above  purpose.  They  had  succeeded  in 
getting  down  two  quarter  casks  of  powder  from  the  upper  loft 
into  the  first  gallery,  and  had  taken  out  the  head  of  one  of  them, 
when  the  troops  arrived  in  front  of  the  house.  Harrington  and 
Comie  determined  to  hazard  an  attempt  to  escape.  The  third 
secreted  himself  in  the  opposite  gallery.  Simonds  cocked  his 
gun,  and,  laying  down,  placed  the  muzzle  of  it  on  the  open  cask 
of  powder,  determining,  as  he  afterward  frequently  declared,  to 
blow  up  the  house,  in  case  any  of  the  regulars  had  come  into  the 
gallery. 

The   British   suffered  but  little  from  the  fire   of  the   Ameri- 


*  John  Robbin?,  Solomon  Pierce,  John  Tidd,  Joseph  Comie,  Ebe- 
nezer Munroe,  Thomas  Winship,  Nathaniel  Farmer,  Jedidiah  Munroe, 
and  Prince  Estabrook,  were  wounded  by  the  fire  from  the  British  in  the 
morning.  Jedidiah  Munroe,  though  wounded  in  the  morning,  followed 
the  enemy  on  their  retreat,  and  was  killed  in  the  afternoon. 


22 


cans.  One  of  the  tenth  regiment  of  their  light  troops  was 
wounded  by  a  shot  through  the  leg,  and  another  was  wounded  in 
the  hand.*  When  Munroe  and  others  fired  from  the  line,  where 
our  militia  were  drawn  up,  they  could  not  discern  the  enemy 
by  reason  of  the  smoke.  Solomon  Brown  and  the  person  seen 
to  fire  frgm  Buckman's  back  door  were  on  the  right  of  the 
British  troops  as  they  came  up,  and  so  situated  as  to  have  a  dis- 
tinct view  of  them,  after  they  fired.  Brown  was  seen  to  take 
aim,  and,  probably,  gave  the  wound  received  by  the  regular  of  the 
tenth  regiment,  as  bloodf  was  distinctly  seen  upon  the  ground, 
soon  after  the  battle,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  meeting-house, 
where  the  main  column  of  the  enemy  stood  when  the  Americans 
fired,  and  in  the  direction,  in  which  Brown  was  seen  to  aim  his 
piece. 

Some  of  our  militia  retreated  up  the  road  leading  to  Bedford, 
but  most  of  them  across  a  swamp,  to  a  rising  ground  north 
of  the  common.  The  buildings  and  fences,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  common,  afforded  shelter,  to  a  few,  from  the  destructive  fire 
of  the  enemy.  As  soon  as  the  Lexington  company  had  dispers- 
ed, and  the  firing  ceased,  the  British  troops  drew  up  on  the 
common,  fired  a  volley,  and  gave  three  huzzas  in  token  of  victo- 
ry. They  then  marched  on  for  Concord,  the  next  village,  about 
six  miles  beyond,  where  they  arrived  without  further  opposition. 
Some  of  the  Americans,  who  had  not  withdrawn  at  a  great  dis- 
tance, were  on  the  battle  ground  immediately  after  the  enemy 
took  up  their  march  for  Concord,  and  made  prisoners  of  six  re- 
gulars,! who  were  in  the  rear  of  the  main  body.  They  were 

*  Hist.  Coll.  Vol.  IV.  Sec.  Series,  and  Ebenezer  Munroe's  affidavit, 
t  Appendix,  Nos.  1  and  9. 

t  The  king's  troops  were  delayed  at  Lexington  from  twenty  to  thir- 
ty minutes.  While  there,  it  is  supposed,  these  six  of  their  soldiers,  who 
were  taken  prisoners,  had  gone  into  some  of  the  houses  in  the  village, 
and  were  left  behind  by  the  main  body.  They  were  not  in  a  body 
when  taken,  not  more  than  two  being  taken  together.  They  were  all 
taken  within  half  an  hour  after  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  had  left  the 
common.  That  there  were  prisoners  taken  on  the  morning"  of  the  19th, 
does  not  admit  of  a  doubt.  The  fact,  that  the  number  of  six  were  taken, 
rests  upon  the  affidavit  of  James  Reed  of  Burlington,  an  intelligent  and 


disarmed,  and  put  under  guard,  and  conducted  to  Woburn  Pre- 
cinct, now  Burlington  ;  thence  they  were  taken  to  Chelmsford. 

The  Lexington  company  of  militia,  assembled  on  this  trying 
occasion,  had  little  time  to  deliberate.  They  had  not  the  advan- 
tage of  any  special  order  or  direction  from  any  superior  officer. 
They  knew  it  would  not  be  right  for  them  to  commence  the  at- 
tack upon  the  British  ;  yet  they  felt  it  a  duty  to  be  in  arms, 
to  resist  the  execution  of  those  obnoxious  and  wicked  laws,  by 
which  they  were  to  be  deprived  of  rights,  held  dearer  than  life. 
Regardless  of  the  event,  as  to  themselves,  they  thought  it  was 
required  of  them  to  raise  the  standard  of  opposition.  Thus  situ- 
ated, the  occasion  seemed  to  call  them  to  be  offered  an  unre- 
sisting sacrifice  for  the  publick  good.  History  affords  few  exam- 
ples of  men,  called  upon  by  their  country  to  give  such  a  sangui- 
nary proof  of  unyielding  courage  and  disinterested  virtue.  Yet 
these  gallant  men  showed  themselves  equal  to  this  great  trial. 
Their  purpose  was  accomplished.  The  "  mighty  struggle"  was 
begun.* 

The  report  of  the  bloody  transaction  at  Lexington  was 
spreading  in  every  direction  with  the  rapidity  of  a  whirlwind. 
The  people  were  seen,  in  arms,  moving  swiftly  to  the  scene  of 
action. 

The  alarm  reached  Concord  about  the  hour  of  four  in  the 
morning.  The  time  was  diligently  improved  by  the  inhabitants 
in  removing  and  concealing  the  publick  stores.  When  the  ene- 
my approached  the  town,  the  Americans  then  collected  retired 

respectable  farmer,  of  substantial,  correct  character,  and  of  unquestiona- 
ble veracity.  See  affidavits  of  John  Munroe,  Ebenezer  Munroe,  and 
James  Reed,  in  the  Appendix. 

*  Gordon,  Botta,  Lendrum,  Holmes,  and  others,  expressly  assert, 
that,  at  the  first  attack  of  the  British  troops  at  Lexington,  some  of  the 
Americans  returned  their  fire.  All  other  historians,  within  the  know- 
ledge of  the  writer,  impliedly  assert  the  fact  of  there  having  been  firing 
on  the  part  of  the  Americans.  The  writer  knows  of  no  historian,  who 
has  described  the  events  of  that  day,  except  Mr.  Bradford,  in  his  late 
History  of  Massachusetts,  that  has  asserted,  that  the  Americans,  on  be- 
ing "ORDERED"  by  the  British  commander  "to  disperse,  did  immedi- 
ately retire." 


24 

across  the  north  bridge  to  the  high  ground  beyond  it,  and  there 
waited  for  reinforcements  from  the  adjacent  country. 

The  enemy  halted  near  the  meeting-house,  sent  parties  of 
troops  to  various  places  in  the  town  in  search  of  publick  stores, 
and  detached  one  hundred  men  to  take  possession  of  the  bridge, 
over  which  the  militia  had  retreated. 

Concord  River,  with  a  slow  current,  flows  along  the  north- 
westerly and  northerly  side  of  the  village,  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  houses.  The  north  bridge  was  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  meeting-house  to  the  north.  The  left  bank  of  the  river  con- 
sists of  level,  wet  ground.  From  the  bridge  the  road  was  a 
causeway,  leading  westerly  over  the  wet  grounds  toward  Acton. 
The  road  from  the  hills,  where  the  Americans  were  stationed, 
ran  southerly,  till  it  met  the  causeway  at  right  angles.  This 
bridge  across  the  river  was  long  since  taken  away  ;  the  abut- 
ments and  causeway,  however,  are  still  to  be  seen. 

The  Provincial  militia,  on  the  hills,  perceiving  the  British 
troops  attempting  to  remove  the  planks  from  the  bridge,  were 
encouraged  by  the  brave  Col.  Robinson  and  Maj.  Buttrick  to  ad- 
vance, with  orders  not  to  fire,  unless  fired  upon.  They  accord- 
ingly marched  toward  the  bridge  with  drums  beating,  the  Acton 
company,  commanded  by  Capt.  Davis,  marching  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  led  on  by  Robinson,  Buttrick  and  Davis.  This  compa- 
ny exhibited  a  noble  self-devotedncss,  equal  to  that,  which,  on 
the  same  morning,  had  been  displayed  by  the  Lexington  compa- 
ny, under  circumstances  peculiarly  trying  to  the  bravest  men. 
They  had  not  then  received  intelligence  of  the  events  at  Lexing- 
ton, and,  in  their  apprehension,  the  state  of  things  required,  that, 
for  the  publick  good,  they  must  expose  themselves  to  the  enemy's 
fire. 

The  British  troops  had  formed  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river, 
and,  when  the  Americans  had  advanced  sufficiently  near,  they 
fired  across  it,  and  Capt.  Davis  and  one  of  his  men  were  in- 
stantly killed,  and  several  wounded.  The  Americans  returned 
the  fire  with  effect,  killing  two,  and  wounding  several  others. 
They  then  rushed  across  the  bridge,  and  drove  the  enemy  back, 
till  they  were  met  by  a  reinforcement.  They  then  took  a  posi- 


25 

tion  on  a  hill  north  of  the  village,  where  other  Provincials  were 
continually  joining  them. 

The  king's  troops,  having  effected  but  in  part  their  object, 
in  the  destruction  of  publick  property,*  retreated  in  great  haste 
about  noon.  As  the  rear  of  their  column  entered  on  a  causeway, 
leading  over  a  meadow,  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  village, 
they  received  a  heavy  fire  from  the  Reading  minute  men,  under 
Capt.  John  Brooks. t 

The  Americans,  who  had  by  this  time  collected  in  considera- 
ble numbers,  pressed  upon  the  British  troops  with  great  fury, 
and  kept  up  a  constant  and  well  directed  fire  from  every  favour- 
able position.  Such  positions  occurred  very  frequently,  the  road 
from  Concord  to  Lexington  being  very  hilly  and  crooked,  and 
having,  at  that  time,  many  forests  and  thickets  near  it.  The 
enemy  returned  the  fire  of  the  Americans,  but  without  much  ef- 
fect. In  Lincoln  they  were  met  by  the  Lexington  company  un- 
der Capt.  Parker,  who  had  collected  most  of  his  men,  and  was 
proceeding  to  Concord.  Capt.  Parker  turned  aside  into  the 
fields,  and,  as  the  enemy  passed,  they  were  exposed  to  a  most 
galling  and  deadly  fire  from  his  greatly  exasperated  men.  The 
pursuers  had  now  mustered  in  such  numbers,  and  hung  so  close 
upon  their  rear,  that  the  British  officers  could  with  difficulty 
preserve  the  order  of  their  troops.  All  was  hurry  and  confusion ; 
and  so  entirely  were  they  exhausted,  they  must,  no  doubt,  have 
soon  surrendered  to  the  victorious  Americans,  had  they  not  been 
met  at  Lexington  by  a  reinforcement,  consisting  of  a  thousand 
fresh  troops,  with  two  field  pieces,  under  Lord  Percy.  The 
retreating  troops  halted  a  mile  below  the  meeting-house,  and, 
having  taken  some  refreshment,  they  proceeded,  under  cover  of 


*  While  at  Concord,  the  enemy  disabled  two  twenty-four  pounders, 
destroying  their  carnages,  wheels  and  limbers;  sixteen  wheels  for  brass 
three  pounders  ;  two  carriages,  with  wheels,  for  two  four  pounders  ;  about 
five  hundred  weight  of  balls,  which  they  threw  into  the  river  and  wells ; 
and  stove  about  sixty  barrels  of  flour,  one  half  of  which  was  afterward 
saved.  Gordon's  Account. 

t  Afterward  Gov.  Brooks. 


26 


their  field   pieces,  to   plunder,   burn   and   destroy  buildings  and 
property  in  that  part  of  the  town.* 

After  having  dressed  their  wounded.f  the  king's  troops  re- 
sumed their  retreat  toward  Boston.  No  sooner  were  they  in 
motion,  than  the  Americans  again  pressed  upon  them,  with  a 
still  more  furious  and  intrepid  attack.  The  Lexington  company, 
with  unabated  ardour,  joined  in  the  pursuit,  and  the  firing  on 
both  sides,  with  little  or  no  intermission,  continued  until  the 
enemy  ascended  Bunker  Hill  at  the  close  of  the  day. 

*  A  dwelling  house  and  barn  belonging  to  Deacon  Loring,  Mrs. 
Lydia  Mulliken's  house,  and  her  son's  shop,  and  a  house  and  shop  of  Mr. 
Joshua  Bond,  were  laid  in  ashes.  Several  other  buildings  were  set  on 
fire,  but  the  flames  were  fortunately  extinguished  after  the  enemy  left. 
Property  to  a  considerable  amount,  consisting  of  clothing,  furniture, 
provisions,  &c.  were  wantonly  destroyed.  Mr.  Claris  Narrative. 

t  William  Munroe's  affidavit. 


The  folloioing  is  a  correct  List  of  the  Provincials,  who  were 
killed,  ivounded  and  missing  in  the  Action  of  the  19^A  of 
April,  and  the  towns  to  which  they  respectively  belonged. 


LEXINGTON. 

Jonas  Parker, 

Robert  Munroe, 

Samuel  Hartley, 

Jonathan  Harrington,  Jun. 

Isaac  Muzzy, 

Caleb  Harrington, 

John  Brown, 

Jedidiah  Munroe, 

John  Raymond, 

Nathaniel  Wyman, 

John  Robbins, 

Solomon  Pierce, 

John  Tidd, 

Joseph  Comie, 

Ebenezer  Munroe,  Jun. 

Thomas  Winship, 

Nathaniel  Farmer, 

Prince  Estabrook  (colored) 

Jedidiah  Munroe, 

Francis  Brown,  wounded  in  the  afternoon. 

CAMBRIDGE. 


Killed  in  the 
Morning. 


Killed  in  the 
Afternoon. 


Wounded  in 
the  Morning. 


William  Marcy, 
Moses  Richardson, 
John  Hicks, 
Jason  Russell, 
Jabish  Wyman, 
Jason  Winship, 
Samuel  Whittemore, 
Samuel  Frost, 
Seth  Russell, 


I  Killed. 

Wounded. 
y  Missing. 


CONCORD. 


Charles  Miles, 
Nathan  Barnet, 
Abel  Prescott, 


Wounded. 


Killed.   "Wound.  Missing 


28 


NEEDHAM. 

Killed. 

Wound.  1  3 

Lieut.  John  Bourn, 
Elisha  Mills, 
Amos  Mills,                            Killed. 
Nathaniel  Chamberlain, 
Jonathan  Parker, 
Eleazer  Kingsbury,                  Wounded. 
Tolman, 

5 

2 

SIJDBURY. 

Josiah  Haynes,                   )  KaM 
Asahel  need,                      ) 
Joshua  Haynes,  Jun.               Wounded. 

2 

1 

ACTON. 

Capt.  Isaac  Davis,               ) 
Abner  Hosmer,                   >•  Kitted. 
James  Hey  wood,*               ) 

3 

BEDFORD. 

Jonathan  Wilson,                    Killed. 
Job  Lane,                                Wounded. 

1 

1 

WOBURN. 

Asahel  Porter,                     )    «-.^  , 
Daniel  Thompson,               \  * 
George  Reed,                      } 
Jacob  Bacon,                       >  Wounded. 
Johnson,                    ) 

2 

3 

MEDFORD. 

Henry  Putnam,                    )    -p-.-r,  , 
William  Polly,                     }  KlUed" 

2 

CHARLESTOWN. 

James  Miller,   /                 )    T^.J,  , 
C.  Barber's  son,                  }  ****' 

2 

^  *  Killed  in  Lexington,  at  the  house  formerly  owned  by  Benjamin 
Fisk.  He  was  coming  to  the  house,  and  met  a  British  soldier  coming 
out  They  both  took  aim  and  fired,  and  both  fell. 


29 


WATERTOWN. 

Killed. 

Wound. 

Joseph  Coolidge,                 %   Killed. 

1 

FRAMINGHAM. 

Daniel  Heinenway,                   Wounded. 

1 

DEDHAM.   - 

Elias  Haven,                           Killed. 
Israel  Everett,                          Wounded. 

1 

1 

STOW. 

Daniel  Conant,                         Wounded. 

1 

ROXBURY. 

Elijah  Seaver,                          Missing. 

BROOKLINE. 

Isaac  Gardner,  Esq.                Killed. 

1 

BILLERICA. 

John  Nickols,                     )     w  „,  ^  j 
iw     ii_  t>i      i.  •  _i             r     Wounded. 
Timothy  Blanchard,           ) 

2 

CHELMSFORD. 

Aaron  Chamberlain,           )     Wounded 
Oliver  J3arron,                    ) 

2 

SALEM. 

Benjamin  Pierce,                     Killed. 

1 

NEWTON. 

Noah  Wiswall,                          Wounded. 

1 

DANVERS. 

Henry  Jacobs,                    1 
Samuel  Cook, 

Ebenezer  Goldthwait, 
George  Southwick,              }•  Killed. 
Benjamin  Daland, 
Jotham  Webb, 
Perley  Putnam, 

7 

Missing. 


30 


Nathan  Putnam,                 ) 
Dennis  Wallace,                  f 
Joseph  Bell, 

Wounded. 
Missing.  . 

Killed. 

Wound. 

Missing. 
1 

BEVERLY. 

Reuben  Kenyme, 
Nathaniel  Cleves.               ~) 
Samuel  Woodbury, 
William  Dodge,  3d,           ) 

Killed. 
Wounded. 

1 

3 

LYNN. 

Abednego  Ramsdell, 
Daniel  Townsend, 
William  Flint,                     ( 
Thomas  Hadley, 
Joshua  Felt, 
Timothy  Munroe,               ) 
Josiah  Breed, 

Killed. 

Wounded. 
Missing. 

4 

2 

1 

49 

36 

5 

The  enemy  lost  65  killed :  180  were  wounded,  and  28  taken 
prisoners.     Holmes' 's  Annals. 

An  English  account,  published  in  the  Historical   Collections, 
states  their  loss  to  have  been  73  killed,  174  wounded,  and  26 


A  TS  ^S 

du  If  if 


No.  1. 

I,  ELIJAH  SANDERSON,  of  Salem,  in  the  county  of  Essex,  cabinet- 
maker, aged  seventy-three  years,  on  oath  depose  as  follows : 

In  the  spring  of  1775,  I  resided  at  Lexington,  and  had  resided  there 
then  more  than  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  that  year,  the  officers  of  the 
British  regular  troops  in  Boston  were  frequently  making  excursions,  in 
small  parties,  into  the  country,  and  often,  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  in 
pleasant  weather,  passed  through  Lexington,  and  usually  were  seen  re- 
turning before  evening.  I  lived  then  on  the  main  road,  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  meeting-house. 

On  the  evening  of  the  18th  April,  1775,  we  saw  a  party  of  officers  pass 
up  from  Boston,  all  dressed  in  blue  wrappers.  The  unusually  late  hour  of 
their  passing  excited  the  attention  of  the  citizens.  I  took  my  gun  and 
cartridge-box,  and,  thinking  something  must  be  going  on  more  than  com- 
mon, walked  up  to  John  Buekman's  tavern,  near  the  meeting-house. 
After  some  conversation  among  the  citizens  assembled  there,  an  old  gen- 
tleman advised,  that  some  one  should  follow  those  officers,  and  endeavour 
to  ascertain  their  object.  I  then  observed,  that,  if  any  one  would  let  me 
have  a  horse,  I  would  go  in  pursuit.  Thaddeus  Harrington  told  me,  I 
might  take  his,  which  was  there.  I  took  his,  and  Solomon  Brown  propos- 
ed to  accompany  me  on  his  own  horse.  Jonathan  Loring  also  went  with 
us.  We  started,  probably,  about  nine  o'clock ;  and  we  agreed,  if  we 
could  find  the  officers,  we  would  return  and  give  information,  as  the  fears 
were,  thit  their  object  was,  to  come  back  in  the  night,  and  seize  Hancock 
and  Adams,  and  carry  them  into  Boston.  It  had  been  rumoured,  that  the 
British  officers  had  threatened,  that  Hancock  and  Adams  should  not 
stay  at  Lexington.  They  had  been  boarding  some  time  at  Parson  Clark's. 

We  set  out  in  pursuit.  Just  before  we  got  to  Brooks's  in  Lincoln, 
while  riding  along,  we  were  stopped  by  nine  British  officers,  who  were 
paraded  across  the  road.  They  were  all  mounted.  One  rode  up  and 
seized  my  bridle,  and  another  my  arm,  and  one  put  his  pistol  to  my 
breast,  and  told  me,  if  I  resisted,  "I  was  a  dead  man.  I  asked,  what  he 
wanted.  He  replied,  he  wanted  to  detain  me  a  little  while.  He  ordered 
me  to  get  off  my  horse.  Several  of  them  dismounted  and  threw  down  the 
wall,  and  led  us  into  the  field.  They  examined  and  questioned  us  where 
we  were  going,  &c.  Two  of  them  staid  in  the  road,  and  the  other  seven 
with  us,  relieving  each  other  from  time  to  time.  They  detained  us  in 
that  vicinity  till  a  quarter  past  two  o'clock  at  night.  An  officer,  who 
took  out  his  watch,  informed  me  what  the  time  was.  It  was  a  bright 
moon-light  after  the  rising  of  the  moon,  and  a  pleasant  evening.  During 
our  detention,  they  put  many  questions  to  us,  which  I  evaded.  They 
kept  us  separately,  and  treated  us  very  civilly.  They  particularly  in- 
quired where  Hancock  and  Adams  were;  also  about  the  population. 
One  said,  "You've  been  numbering  the  inhabitants,  hav'n't  ye?"  I 
told  him  how  many  it  was  reported  there  were.  One  of  them  spoke  up 


32 

and  said,  "  There  were  not  so  many,  men,  women  and  children."  They 
asked  as  manv  questions  as  a  yankce  could. 

While  we  "were  under  detention,  they  look  two  other  prisoners,  one 
Allen,  a  one-handed  pedlar,  and  Col.  Paul  Revere ;  also,  they  attempt- 
ed to  stop  a  man  on  horseback,  who,  we  immediately  after  understood, 
was  Dr.  Prescott's  son.  He  was  well  mounted,  and,  after  turning  from 
the  road  into  the  field  toward  Us,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  escaped. 
Several  of  the  officers  pursued  him,  hut  could  not  overtake  him. 

After  they  had  taken  Revere,  they  brought  him  within  half  a  rod  of 
me,  and  I  heard  him  speak  up  with  energy  to  them,  "  Gentlemen,  you've 
missed  of  your  aim  !"  One  said,  rather  hardly,  "  What  of  our  aim  !"  Re- 
Tcre  replied,  "I  came  out  of  Boston  an  hour  after  your  troops  had  come 
out  of  Boston  and  landed  at  Lechmere's  Point,  and  if  I  had  not  known 
people  had  been  sent  out  to  give  information  to  the  country,  and  time 
enough  to  get  fifty  miles,  I  would  have  ventured  one  shot  from  you,  be- 
fore I  would  have  suffered  you  to  have  stopped  me."  Upon  this,  they 
went  a  little  aside  and  conversed  together.  They  then  ordered  me  to  un- 
tie my  horse,  (which  was  tied  to  a  little  birch,)  and  mount.  They 
kept  us  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  and  rode  on  each  side  of  us.  We 
went  toward  Lexington.  They  took  all  of  us,  (Revere,  Loring,  and 
Brown,  and  myself.)  My  horse  not  being  swift,  and  they  riding  at  con- 
siderable speed,  one  of  the  officers  pressed  my  horse  forward,  by  striking 
him  with  his  hanger.  When  we  had  arrived"  within  fifty  or  one  hundred 
rods  of  the  meeting-house,  Loring  (as  he  afterwards  informed  me)  told 
them,  "  The  bell's  a  ringing,  the  town's  alarmed,  and  you're  all  dead 
men."  They  then  stopped — conferred  together.  One  then  dismounted, 
and  ordered  me  to  dismount,  and  said  to  me,  "I  must  do  you  an  injury." 
I  asked,  what  he  was  going  to  do  to  me  now  ?  tie  made  no  reply,  but 
with  his  hanger  cut  my  bridle  and  girth,  and  then  mounted,  and  they 
rode  in  a  good  smart  trot  on  toward  Boston.  We  then  turned  off  to  pas9 
through  the  swamp,  through  the  mud  and  water,  intending  to  arrive  at 
the  mceting-honse  before  they  could  pass,  to  give  information  to  our  peo- 
ple. Just  before  they  got  to  the  meeting-house,  they  had  halted, 
which  led  us  to  hope,  we  should  get  there  first ;  bnt  they  soon  started  off 
again  at  full  speed,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  them. 

I  went  to  the  tavern.  The  citizens  were  coming  and  going;  some 
went  down  to  find  whether  the  British  were  coming;  some  came  back, 
and  said  there  was  no  truth  in  it.  I  went  into  the  tavern,  and,  after  a 
while,  went  to  sleep  in  my  chair  by  the  fire.  In  a  short  time  after,  the 
drum  beat,  and  I  ran  out  to  the  common,  where  the  militia  were  parading. 
The  captain  ordered  them  to  fall  in.  I  then  fell  in.  'Twas  all  in  the  ut- 
most haste.  The  British  troops  were  then  coming  on  in  lull  sight.  I  had 
no  musket,  having  sent  it  home,  the  night  previous,  by  my  brother,  before 
I  started  for  Concord ;  and,  reflecting  I  was  of  no  use,  I  stepped  out 
again  from  the  company  about  two  rods,  and  was  gazing  at  the  British, 
coming  on  in  full  career.  Several  mounted  British  officers  were  forward  ; 
I  think,  five.  The  commander  rode  up,  with  his  pistol  in  his  hand,  on  a 
canter,  the  others  following,  to  about  eight  or  ten  rods  from  the  company, 
perhaps  nearer,  and  ordered  them  to  disperse.  The  words  he  used  were 
harsh.  I  cannot  remember  them  exactly.  He  then  said,  "Fire!"  and  he 
fired  his  own  pistol,  and  the  other  officers  soon  fired,  and  with  that  the 
main  body  came  up  and  fired,  but  did  not  take  sight.  They  loaded  again 
as  soon  as  possible.  All  was  smoke  when  the  foot  fired.  I  heard  no  parti- 
cuhir  orders  after  what  the  conmander  first  said.  I  looked,  and,  seeing  no- 
body fall,  thought  to  be  sure  they  couldn't  be  firing  balls,  and  I  did'nt 
move  off.  After  our  militia  had  dispersed,  I  saw  them  firing  at  one  man, 
(Solomon  Brown,)  who  was  stationed  behind  a  wall.  I  saw  the  wall 
smoke  with  the  bullets  hitting  it.  I  then  knew  they  were  firing  balls. 


33 

After  the  affair  was  over,  he  told  me  he  fired  into  a  solid  column  of  them, 
and ;  then  retreated.  He  was  in  the  cow  yard.  Tlie  wall  saved  him.  He 
legged  it  just  about  the  time  I  went  away.  In  a  minute  or  two  after,  the 
British  musick  struck  up,  and  their  troops  paraded,  and  marched  right  off 
for  Concord. 

I  went  home  after  my  gun, — found  it  was  gone.  My  brother  had  it.  I 
returned  to  the  meeting-house,  and  saw  to  the  dead.  I  saw  blood  where 
the  column  of  the  British  had  stood  when  Solomon  Brown  fired  at  them. 
This  was  several  rods  from  where  any  of  our  militia  stood;  and  I  then 
supposed,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  us,  that  that  was  the  blood  of  the  British. 

I  assisted  in  carrying  some  of  the  dead  into  the  meeting-house. 

Some  days  before  the  battle,  I  was  conversing  with  Jonas  Parker,  who 
was  killed,  and  heard  him  express  his  determination  never  to  run  from 
before  the  British  troops. 

In  the  afternoon  I  saw  the  reinforcement  come  up  under  Lord  Percy. 
I  then  had  no  musket,  and  retired  to  Estabrook's  Hill,  whence  I  saw 
the  reinforcement  meet  the  troops  retreating  from  Concord.  When  they 
met,  they  halted  some  time.  After  this,  they  set  fire  to  Deacon  Loring's 
barn ;  then  to  his  house ;  then  to  widow  Mulliken's  house ;  then  to  the 
shop  of  Nathaniel  Mulliken,  a  watch  and  clock  maker ;  and  to  the 
house  and  shop  of  Joshua  Bond.  All  these  were  near  the  place  where 
the  reinforcements  took  refreshments.  They  hove  fire  into  several  other 
buildings.  It  was  extinguished  after  their  retreat. 

During  the  day,  the  women  and  children  had  been  so  scattered  and 
dispersed,  that  most  of  them  were  out  of  the  way  when  the  reinforce- 
ments arrived. 

I  now  own  the  musket,  which  I  then  owned,  and  which  my  brother 
had  that  day,  and  told  me  he  fired  at  the  British  with  it. 

ELIJAH  SANDERSON. 

COMMONWEALTH   OF   MASSACHUSETTS. 

ESSEX,  ss.  December  \ltk,  1324. — Then  the  above-named  Elijah  San- 
derson, a  gentleman  of  truth  and  respectability,  subscribed  and  made 
oath  to  the  above-written  affidavit,  before 

BENJ.    MERRILL,  Just.  Peace  and  Quorum. 


No.  2. 

I,  WILLIAM  MUNROE,  of  Lexington,  on  oath  do  testify,  that  I  acted  as 
orderly  sergeant  in  the  company  commanded  by  Capr.  John  Parker,  on 
the  19th  of  April,  1775;  that,  early  in  the  evening  of  the  18th  of  the 
same  April,  I  was  informed  by  Solomon  Brown,  who  had  just  returned 
from  Boston,  that  he  had  seen  nine  British  officers  on  the  road,  travelling 
leisurely,  sometimes  before  and  sometimes  behind  him  ;  that  he  had  dis- 
covered, by  the  occasional  blowing  aside  of  their  top  coats,  that  they 
were  armed.  On  learning  this,  I  supposed  they  had  some  design  upon 
Hancock  and  Adams,  who  were  then  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clark, 
and  immediately  assembled  a  guard  of  eight  men,  with  their  arms,  to 
guard  the  house.  About  midnight,  Col.  Paul  Revere  rode  up  and  re- 
quested admittance.  I  told  him  the  family  had  just  retired,  and  had  re- 
quested, that  they  might  not  be  disturbed  by  any  noise  about  the  house. 
"Noise!"  said  he,  "you'll  have  noise  enough  before  long.  The  regulars 
are  coming  out."  We  then  permitted  him  to  pass.  Soon  after,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln came.  These  gentlemen  came  different  routes.  Revere  came  over 
the  ferry  to  Clmrlestown,  and  Lincoln  over  the  neck  through  Roxbury ; 

5 


34 

and  both  brought  letters  from  Dr.  Warren  in  Boston  to  Hancock  and 
Adams,  stating,  that  a  large  body  of  British  troops  had  left  Boston,  mid 
were  on  their  march  to  Lexington.  On  this,  it  was  thought  advisable, 
that  Hancock  and  Adams  should  withdraw  to  some  distant  part  of  the 
town.  To  this  Hancock  consented  witli  great  reluctance,  and  said,  as 
he  went  off,  "If  I  had  my  musket,  I  would  never  turn  my  back  upon 
these  troops."  I  however  conducted  them  to  the  north  part  of  the 
town,  and  then  returned  to  the  meeting-house,  where  I  arrived  at  about 
two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  19th.  On  the  arrival  of  Col.  Revere, 
the  alarm  had  been  given,  and,  on  my  return,  I  found  Capt.  Parker  and 
his  militia  company  paraded  on  the  common,  a  little  in  the  rear  of  the 
meeting-house.  About  that  time,  one  of  our  messengers,  who  had  been 
rent  toward  Cambridge  to  get  information  of  the  movement  of  the  regu- 
lars, returned  and  reported,  that  he  could  not  learn,  that  there  were  any 
troops  on  the  road  irom  Boston  to  Lexington,  which  raised  some  doubt 
as  to  their  coming,  and  Capt.  Parker  dismissed  his  company,  with  orders 
to  assemble  again  at  the  beat  of  the  drum.  Between  day-light  and  sun- 
rise, Capt.  Thaddcus  Bowman  rode  up  and  informed,  that  the  regulars 
were  near.  The  drum  was  then  ordered  to  be  beat,  and  I  was  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Parker  to  parade  the  company,  which  I  accordingly 
did,  in  two  ranks,  a  few  rods  northerly  of  the  meeting-house. 

When  the  British  troops  had  arrived  within  about  a  hundred  rods  of 
the  meeting-house,  as  I  was  afterwards  told  by  a  prisoner,  which  we  took, 
"they  heard  our  drum,  and  supposing  it  to  be  a  challenge,  they  were 
ordered  to  load  their  muskets,  and  to  move  at  double  quick  time." 
They  came  up  almost  upon  a  run.  Col.  Smith  and  Maj.  Pitcairn  rode 
up  some  rods  in  advance  of  their  troops,  and  within  a  few  rods  of  our 
company,  and  exclaimed,  "Lay  down  your  arms,  you  rebels,  and  dis- 
perse !"  and  immediately  fired  his  pistol.  Pitcairn  then  advanced,  and, 
after  a  moment's  conversation  with  Col.  Smith,  he  advanced  with  his 
troops,  and,  finding  we  did  not  disperse,  they  being  within  four  rods  of 
us,  he  brought  his  sword  down  with  great  force,  and  said  to  his  men, 
"  Fire,  damn  you,  fire  !"  The  front  platoon,  consisting  of  eijrht  or  nine, 
then  fired,  without  killing  or  wounding  any  of  our  men.  They  imme- 
diately gave  a  second  fire,  when  our  company  began  to  retreat,  and,  as 
1  left  the  field,  I  saw  a  person  firing  at  the  British  troops  from  Bnckman's 
back  door,  which  was  near  our  left,  where  I  was  parading  the  men  when 
I  retreated.  I  was  afterward  told,  of  the  truth  of  which  I  have  no 
doubt,  that  the  same  person,  after  firing  from  the  back  door,  went  to  the 
front  door  of  Buckman's  house,  and  fired  there.  How  many  of  our 
company  fired  before  they  retreated,  I  cannot  say;  but  I  am  confident 
some  of  them  did.  When  the  British  troops  came  up,  I  saw  Jonas  Par- 
ker standing  in  the  ranks,  with  his  balls  and  flints  in  his  hat,  on  the 
ground,  between  his  feet,  and  heard  him  declare,  that  he  would  never 
run.  He  was  shot  down  at  the  second  fire  of  the  Biitish,  and,  when  I 
left,  I  saw  him  struggling  on  the  ground,  attempting  to  load  his  gun, 
which  I  have  no  doubt  he  had  once  discharged  at  the  British.  As  he 
lay  on  the  ground,  they  run  him  through  with  the  bayonet.  In  the  course 
of  the  day,  I  was  on  the  ground  where  the  British  troops  were  when  they 
first  heard  our  drum  beat,  which  was  about  one  hundred  rods  below  the 
meeting-house,  and  saw  the  ends  of  a  large  number,  I  should  judge  two 
hundred,  of  cartridges,  which  they  had  dropped,  when  they  charged  their 
pieces.  About  noon,  I  was  at  the  north  part  of  the  town,  at  the  house  of 
a  Mr.  Simonds,  where  I  saw  the  late  Col.  Baldwin,  who  informed  me, 
that  he  had  the  custody  of  some  prisoners,  that  hnd  been  put  under  his 
charge,  and  requested  to  know  of  me  what  should  be  done  with  them. 
I  gave  my  opinion,  that  they  should  be  sent  to  that  part  of  Woburn,  now 
Burlington,  or  to  Chelmsford.  On  the  return  of  the  British  troops  from 


35 

Concord,  they  stopped  at  my  tavern  house  in  Lexington,  and  dressed 
their  wounded.  I  had  left  my  house  in  the  care  of  a  lame  man,  by  the 
name  of  Raymond,  who  supplied  them  with  whatever  the  house  afforded, 
and  afterward,  when  he  was  leaving  the  house,  he  was  shot  by  the 
regulars,  and  found  dead  within  a  few  rods  of  the  house. 

WILLIAM   MUNROE. 

MIDDLESEX,  7th  March,  1825.  —  Then  personally  appeared  the  afore- 
said William  Munroe,  and  made  oath  to  the  truth  of  the  aforegoing  affida- 
vit, bv  him  subscribed,  before  me, 

AMOS    MUZZY,  Justice    Peace. 


No.  3. 

I,  JOHN  MUNROE,  of  Lexington,  a  collector  of  tolls  for  the  Middlesex 
Turnpike,  being  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  my  age,  on  oath  do  depose 
and  say,  that  I  was  a  corporal  in  the  Lexington  company  of  militia,  which 
was  commanded  by  the  late  Capt.  John  Parker,  in-  the  year  1775;  that, 
for  some  weeks  previous  to  the  19th  of  April  of  that  year,  the  company 
was  frequently  called  out  for  exercise,  and  desired  to  furnish  ourselves 
with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  to  be  in  constant  readiness  for  action. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th,  at  about  two  o'clock,  as  near  as  I  can  recol- 
lect, Francis  Brown,  who  was  sergeant  in  the  same  company,  called  me 
out  of  my  bed,  and  said,  the  British  troops  had  left  Boston,  and  were  on 
their  march  to  Lexington.  I  immediately  repaired  to  the  place  of  parade, 
which  was  the  common,  adjoining  the  meeting-house,  where  sixty 
or  seventy  of  the  companv  had  assembled  in  arms.  Capt.  Parker 
ordered  the  roll  to  be  called,  and  every  man  to  load  his  piece  with 
powder  and  ball.  After  remaining  on  parade  some  time,  and  there 
being  no  further  accounts  of  the  approach  of  the  regulars,  we  were 
dismissed,  but  ordered  to  remain  within  call  of  the  drum.  About 
day-light,  Capt.  Parker  had  information,  that  a  regiment  of  British 
troops  were  near,  and  immediately  ordered  the  drum  beat  to  arms. 
I  took  my  station  on  the  right.  While  the  company  were  collecting, 
Capt.  Parker,  then  on  the  left,  gave  orders  for  every  man  to  stand 
his  ground  until  he  should  or-ler  them  to  leave.  Many  of  the  company 
had  withdrawn  to  a  considerable  distance,  and,  by  the  time  sixty  or  seventy 
of  them  had  collected,  the  drum  still  beating  to  arms,  the  front  ranks  of 
the  British  troops  appeared  within  twelve  or  fifteen  rods  of  our  line. 
They  continued  their  march  to  within  about  eight  rods  of  us,  when  an 
officer  on  horseback,  Lt.  Col.  Smith,  who  rode  in  front  of  the  troops,  ex- 
claimed, ''  Lay  down  your  arms,  and  disperse,  you  rebels  !"  Finding  our 
company  kept  their  ground,  Col.  Smith  ordered  his  troops  to  fire.  This 
order  not  being  obeyed,  he  then  said  to  them,  "  G  —  d  damn  you,  fire  !" 
The  front  platoon  t'hen  discharged  their  pieces,  and,  another  order  being 
given  to  fire,  there  was  a  general  discharge  from  the  front  ranks.  After 
the  first  fire  of  the  regulars,  I  thought,  and  so  stated  to  Ebenezer  Munroe, 
Jun.  who  stood  next  to  me  on  the  left,  that  they  had  fired  nothing  but 
powder  ;  but,  on  the  second  firing,  Munroe  said,  they  had  fired  something 
more  than  powder,  for  he  had  received  a  wound  in  his  arm  ;  and  now, 
said  he,  to  use  his  own  words,  "I'll  give  them  the  guts  of  my  gun."  We 
then  both  took  aim  at  the  main  body  of  the  British  troops,—  the  smoke  pre- 
venting our  seeing  any  thing  but  the  heads  of  some  of  their  horses,  —  and 
discharged  our  pieces.  After  the  second  fire  from  the  British  troops,  I 
distinctly  saw  Jonas  Parker  struggling  on  the  ground,  with  his  gun  in  his 
hand,  apparently  attempting  to  load  it.  In  this  situation  the  British 
came  up,  run  him  through  with  the  bayonet,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot. 


36 


After  I  had  fired  the  first  time,  I  retreated  about  ten  rods,  and  then  load- 
ed my  gun  a  second  time,  with  two  balls,  and,  on  firing  at  the  British,  the 
strength  of  the  charge  took  off  about  a  foot  of  my  pun  barrel. 

Such  was  the  general  confusion,  and  so  much  firing  on  the  part  of  the 
British,  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  know  the  number  of  our  men, 
who  fired  immediately  on  receiving  the  second  fire  from  the  British 
troops ;  but  that  some  of  them  fired,  besides  Ebenczcr  Munroe  and 
myself,  I  am  very  confident.  The  regulars  kept  up  a  fire,  in  all  directions, 
as  long  as  they  could  see  a  man  of  our  company  in  arms.  Isaac  Muzzy, 
Jonathan  Harrington,  and  my  father,  Robert  Munroe,  were  found  dead 
near  the  place  where  our  line  was  formed.  Samuel  Hadley  and  John 
Brown  were  killed  after  they  had  gotten  off  the  common.  Asahel  Por- 
ter, of  Woburn,  who  had  been  taken  a  rrisoner  by  the  British  on  their 
march  to  Lexington,  attempted  to  make  his  escape,  and  was  shot  within 
a  few  rods  of  the  common.  Caleb  Harrington  was  shot  down  on  attempt- 
ing to  leave  the  meeting-house,  where  he  and  some  others  had  gone, 
before  the  British  soldiers  came  up,  for  the  purpose  of  removing  a  quan- 
tity of  powder  that  was  stored  there. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th,  two  of  the  British  soldiers,  who  were  in 
the  rear  of  the  main  body  of  their  troops,  were  taken  prisoners  and  dis- 
armed by  our  men,  and,  u  little  after  sun-rise,  they  were  put  under  the 
care  of  Thomas  R.  Willard  and  myself,  with  orders  to  march  them  to 
Woburn  Precinct,  now  Burlington.  We  conducted  them  as  far  as  Capt. 
James  Read's,  where  they  were  put  into  custody  of  some  other  per- 
sons, but  whom  I  do  not  now  recollect.  JOHN  MUNROE. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  December  28lh,  1824. — Then  the  above-named  John 
Munioe  made  oath  to  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  affidavit,  by  him  sub- 
scribed, before  me, 

NATHAN   CHANDLER,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

No.  4. 

I,  EBENEZER  MUNROE,  of  Ashburnham,  in  the  county  of  Worcester 
and  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  my 
age,  on  oath  depose  and  say,  that  I  was  an  inhabitant  of  Lexington  in 
the  county  of  Middlesex  in  the  year  1775  ;  that,  during  the  night  of  the 
18th  of  April  of  that  year,  I  was  alarmed  by  one  Micah  Naglcs,  who 
stated,  that  the  British  troops  were  on  their  march  from  Boston,  and  that 
Lieut.  Tidd  requested  myself  and  others  to  meet  on  the  common  as  soon 
as  possible.  I  accordingly  repaired  to  the  common,  the  usual  place  of 
parade,  where  I  found  Capt.  Parker,  and,  I  should  think,  ahout  forty  of  the 
company  had  collected.  The  weather  being  rather  chilly,  after  calling 
the  roll,  we  were  dismissed,  but  ordered  to  remain  within  call  of  the  drum. 
The  men  generally  went  into  the  tavern  adjoining  the  common.  In  the 
mean  time,  persons  were  sent  toward  Boston  to  get  some  intelligence,  if 
possible,  of  the  regulars.  The  last  person  sent  was  Thaddeus  Bowman, 
who  returned  between  day-light  and  snn-rise,  and  informed  Capt.  Parker, 
that  the  British  troops  were  within  a  mile  of  the  meeting-house.  Capt. 
Parker  immediately  ordered  the  drum  beat  to  arms.  I  was  the  first  that 
followed  the  drum.  I  took  my  station  on  the  right  of  our  line,  which  was 
formed  from  six  to  ten  rods  back  of  the  meeting-house,  facing  south. 
About  seventy  of  our  company  had  assembled  when  the  British  troops 
appeared.  Some  of  our  men  went  into  the  meeting-house,  where  the 
town's  powdur  was  kept,  fur  the  purpose  of  replenishing  their  stock  of 
ammunition.  When  the  regulars  had  arrived  within  eighty  or  one  hun- 
dred rods,  they,  hearing  our  drum  beat,  halted,  charged  their  guns,  and 


37 

doubled  their  ranks,  and  marched  np  at  quick  step.  Capt.  Parker  or- 
dered his  men  to  stand  their  ground,  and  not  to  molest  the  regulars, 
unless  they  meddled  with  us.  The  British  troops  came  up  directly  in 
our  front.  The  commanding  officer  advanced  within  a  few  rods  of  us, 
and  exclaimed,  "  Disperse,  you  damned  rebels  !  you  dogs,  run  ! — Rush  on 
my  boys  !"  and  fired  his  pistol.  The  fire  from  their  front  ranks  soon 
followed.  After  the  first  fire,  I  received  a  wound  in  my  arm,  and  then, 
as  I  turned  to  run,  I  discharged  my  gun  into  the  main  body  of  the  enemy. 
As  I  fired,  my  face  being  toward  them,  one  ball  cut  off  a  part  of  one  of 
my  ear-locks,  which  was  then  pinned  up.  Another  ball  passed  between 
my  arm  and  my  body,  and  just  marked  my  clothes.  .The  first  fire  of  the 
British  was  regular ;  after  that,  they  fired  promiscuously.  As  we  retreat- 
ed, one  of  our  company,  Benjamin  Sampson,  I  believe,  who  was  running 
with  me,  turned  his  piece  and  fired.  When  I  fired,  I  perfectly  well  recol- 
lect of  taking  aim  at  the  regulars.  The  smoke,  however,  prevented  my 
being  able  to  see  many  of  them.  The  balls  flew  so  thick,  I  thought 
there  was  no  chance  for  escape,  and  that  I  might  as  well  fire  my  gun  as 
stand  still  and  do  nothing.  I  am  confident,  that  it  was  the  determination 
of  most  of  our  company,  in  case  they  were  fired  upon,  to  return  the  fire. 
I  did  not  hear  Capt.  Parker's  orders  to  his  company  to  disperse.  When 
the  British  came  up  in  front  of  the  meeting-house,  Joshua  Simoncls  was 
in  the  upper  gallery,  an  open  cask  of  powder  standing  near  him,  and  he 
afterward  told  me,  that  he  cocked  his  gun  and  placed  the  muzzle  of  it 
close  to  the  cask  of  powder,  and  determined  to  "touch  it  off,"  in  case  the 
troops  had  come  into  the  gallery.  After  our  company  had  all  dispersed, 
and  the  British  had  done  firing,  they  gave  three  cheers.  After  they  had 
marched  off  for  Concord,  we  took  two  prisoners,  who  were  considerably 
in  the  rear  of  the  main  body.  I  carried  their  arms  into  Buckman's 
tavern,  and  they  were  taken  by  some  of  our  men,  who  had  none  of  their 
own.  I  believed,  at  the  time,  that  some  of  our  shots  must  have  done  ex- 
ecution. I  was  afterward  confirmed  in  this  opinion,  by  the  observations 
of  some  prisoners,  whom  we  took  in  the  afterncon,  who  stated,  that  one 
of  their  soldiers  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  that  another  received 
a  shot  through  his  hand.  EBENEZER  MUKROE. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  2d  April,  1825. — Then  personally  appeared  the  afore- 
said Ebenezer  Munroe,  and  made  oath  to  the  truth  of  the  aforegoing 
statement,  before  me, 

STEPHEN  PATCH,  Justice  Peace. 

No.   5. 

I,   WILLIAM  TIDD,  of  Lexington,  in    the  county  of  Middlesex,  do 
testify  and  declare,  that  I  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  company  of  Lexington 
militia,  commanded  by  Capt.  John  Parker,  in  the  year  1775;  that,  pre- 
vious to  the  19th  of  April  of  that  year,  it  was  expected  the  British  woul 
soon  commence  hostilities  upon  the  then  Provincials ;  that  said  company 
frequently  met  for  exercise,  the  better  to  be  prepared  for  defence;  that, 
on  the  evenin"-  previous  to  the  19th,  a  number  of  the  militia  met  at  my 
house  for  the  above  purpose ;  that,  about  two  o'clock  on  the  morning 
the  19th,  I  was  notified,  that,  the  evening  previous,  several  of  the  Brit 
officers   had   been   discovered  riding  up   and   down  the  road  leading  t 
Concord;    that  thev  had  detained  and  insulted  the  passing  mha 
and  that  a  body  of  the  regulars  were  then  on  the  march  from  Boston  to- 
wards Lexington  ;— I  then   immediately  repaired  to  the  parade  ground  ot 
said   company,   where,  after  its   assemblage  and  roll    call,  we    were  di 
missed   bv   Capt.   Parker,   with   orders   to  assemble  at  the  beat 
drum  ;— that,  at  about  five  o'clock  of  said  morning,  intelligence  was  i 


38 


ceived,  that  the  British  were  within  a  short  distance  ;  and,  on  the  beat  to 
arms,  I  immediately  repaired  to  where  our  company  were  fast  assembling: ; 
that  when  about  sixty  or  seventy  of  them  had  taken  post,  the  British 
had  arrived  within  sight,  and  were  advancing  on  a  quick  march  towards 
us,  when  I  distinctly  heard  one  of  their  officers  say,  "  Lay  down  your 
arms  and  disperse,  ye  rebels !"  They  then  fired  upon  us.  I  then  re- 
treated up  the  north  road,  and  was  pursued  about  thirty  rods  by  an  offi- 
cer on  horseback,  (supposed  to  be  Maj.  Pitcairn.)  calling  out  to  me, 
"  Damn  you,  stop,  or  you  are  a  dead  man  !" — I  found  I  could  not  escape 
him,  unless  I  left  the  road.  Therefore  I  sprang  over  a  pair  of  bars,  made 
a  stand,  and  discharged  my  gun  at  him;  upon  which  he  immediately  re- 
turned to  the  main  body,  which  shortly  after  took  up  their  march  for 
Concord.  WILLIAM  TIDD. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  December  29,  1824. — William  Tidd,  aforementioned, 
personally  made  oath  to  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  declaration,  by  him 
subscribed,  before 

NATHAN  CHANDLER,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


No.   6. 

I,  NATHAX  MUNROE,  of  Lexington,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex  and 
state  of  Massachusetts,  do  testify  and  say,  that  I  was  enrolled  as  a  soldier 
in  the  company  commanded  by  Capt.  John  Parker  of  said  Lexington,  in 
the  year  1775  ;  and,  knowing  that  several  British  officers  went  up  the  road 
towards  Concord  in  the  evening  of  the  18th  of  April  of  said  year,  I,  with 
Benjamin  Tidd,  at  the  request  of  my  captain,  went  to  Bedford  in  the 
evening,  and  notified  the  inhabitants  through  the  town,  to  the  great  road  at 
Meniam's  Corner,  so  called,  in  Concord,  and  then  returned  to  Lexington. 
When  arrived  at  the  common,  the  bell  was  ringing,  and  the  company 
collecting.  I  immediately  got  my  arms  and  went  to  the  parade.  Capt. 
Parker  gave  orders  to  us  to  load  our  guns,  but  not  to  fire,  unless  we  were 
fired  upon  first.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  British  made 
their  appearance  at  the  cast  end  of  the  meeting-house,  near  where  our 
men  were,  and  immediately  commenced  firing  on  us.  I  got  over  the 
wall  into  Buckman's  land,  about  six  rods  from  the  British,  and  then  turn- 
ed and  fired  at  them.  About  the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  Capt.  Parker, 
having  collected  part  of  his  company,  marched  them  towards  Concord, 
I  being  with  them.  TVe  met  the  regulars  in  the  bounds  of  Lincoln, 
about  noon,  retreating  towards  Boston.  We  fired  on  them,  and  continu- 
ed so  to  do  until  they  met  their  reinforcement  in  Lexington. 

NATHAN  MUXROE. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  LEXIKGTON,  December  22,  1824. — Then  the  above- 
named  Nathan  Munroe  made  oath  to  the  above,  and  subscribed  his  name 
to  the  same,  before  me, 

AMOS   MUZZY,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


No.   7. 

I,  AMOS  LOCK,  of  Lexington,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  testify  and 
declare,  that,  between  two  and  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April 
the  19th,  1775,  I  heard  the  bell  ring,  which  I  considered  as  an  alarm, 
in  consequence  of  a  report,  that,  John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams  were 
at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Jonas  Clark,  and  that  it  was  expected,  the  Bri- 


39 

tish  wonld  attempt  to  take  them.  Therefore  Ebenezer  Lock  and  myself 
both  being  armed,  repaired,  with  all  possible  speed,  to  the  meetinghouse! 
On  our  arrival,  we  found  the  militia  were  collecting;  but,  shortly  after, 
some  person  came  up  the  road  with  a  report,  that  there  were  not  any 
regulars  between  Boston  and  Lexington.  Consequently  we  concluded 
to  return  to  our  families.  We  had  not  proceeded  far,  before  we  heard  a 
firing;  upon  which  we  immediately  returned,  coming  up  towards  the 
easterly  bide  of  the  common,  where,  under  the  cover  of  a  wall,  about 
twenty  rods  distant  from  the  common,  where  the  British  then  were,  we 
found  Asahel  Porter,  of  Woburn,  shot  through  the  body;  upon  which 
Ebenezer  Lock  took  aim,  and  discharged  his  gun  at  the  Britons,  who 
were  then  but  about  twenty  rods  from  us.  We  then  fell  back  a  short 
distance,  and  the  enemy,  soon  after,  commenced  their  march  for  Concord. 

AMOS  LOCK. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  December  29,  1824.—  Then  the  above-named  Arnos 
Lock  personally  appeared,  and  made  oath  to  the  truth  of  the  foregoing 
affidavit,  by  him  subscribed,  before  me, 

NATHAN   CHANDLER,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


No.   8. 

I,  JOSEPH  UNDERWOOD,  of  Lexington,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  my 
age,  on  oath  do  testify,  that,  on  the  evening  of  the  18th  April,  1775,  in 
consequence  of  a  report,  that  some  British  officers  had  passed  through 
town  toward  Concord,  about  forty  of  the  militia  company  assembled,  early 
in  the  evening,  at  Buckman's  tavern,  near  the  meeting-house,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  consulting  what  measures  should  be  adopted.  It  was  concluded 
to  send  persons  toward  Concord  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  British  offi- 
cers ;  and  others  towards  Boston,  to  ascertain  if  there  were  any  movements 
of  the  British  troops.  A  guard  was  stationed  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Clark,  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  Hancock  and  Adams,  who  were  then 
residing  at  Mr.  Clark's.  The  first  certain  information  we  had  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  British  troops,  was  given  by  Thaddeus  Bowman,  between  four 
and  five  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  when  Capt.  Parker's  company 
were  summoned  by  the  beat  of  the  drum,  and  the  line  formed.  When  the 
regulars  had  arrived  within  about  one  hundred  rods  of  our  line,  they  charg- 
ed their  pieces,  and  then  moved  toward  us  at  a  quick  step.  Some  of  our 
men,  on  seeing  them,  proposed  to  quit  the  field  ;  but  Capt.  Parker  gave 
orders  for  every  man  to  stand  his  ground,  and  said  he  would  order  the  first 
man  shot,  that  offered  to  leave  his  post.  I  stood  very  near  Capt.  Parker, 
when  the  regulars  came  up,  and  am  confident  he  did  not  order  his  men 
to  disperse,  till  the  British  troops  had  fired  upon  us  the  second  time. 

JOSEPH  UNDERWOOD. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  7  March,  1825.—  Then  personally  appeared  the  said 
Joseph  Underwood,  and  made  oath  to  the  within  statement,  by  him  sub- 
scribed, before  me, 

AMOS   MUZZY,  Justice  of  Peace. 

No.   9. 

I,  ABIJAH  HARRINGTON,  one  of  the  representatives  to  the  General 
Court  from  the  town  of  Lexington,  on  oath  do  testify,  that,  in  April,  1/75, 
I  lived  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  below  the  rneeting-house  in  Lexington. 
After  hearing  the  firing,  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  and  not  getting  any 
certain  information  whether  the  British  had  killed  any  of  our  men,  1 
went  up  to  the  meeting-house,  soon  after  the  regulars  had  marched 


40 


Concord,  and,  at  the  distance  of  about  ten  or  twelve  rods  below  the 
meeting-house,  where  I  was  told  the  main  body  of  their  troops  stood, 
when  they  were  fired  upon  by  our  militia,  I  distinctly  saw  blood  on  the 
ground,  in  the  road,  and,  the  ground  being  a  little  descending,  the  blood 
had  run  along  the  road  about  six  or  eight  feet.  A  day  or  two  after  the 
19th,  I  was  telling  Solomon  Brown  of  the  circumstance  of  my  having  seen 
blood  in  the  road,  and  where  it  was.  He  then  stated  to  me,  that  he  fired 
in  that  direction,  and  the  road  was  then  full  of  regulars,  and  he  thought 
he  must  hare  hit  some  of  them. 

I  further  testify,  that  I  have  heard  the  late  Deacon  Benjamin  Brown 
repeatedly  say,  that  he  took  a  British  soldier  prisoner,  on  the  morning  of 
the  19th,  a  few  rods  below  the  meeting-house,  immediately  after  the  regu- 
lars left  the  common  for  Concord,  and  took  his  gun  from  him. 

ABIJAH  HARRINGTON. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  4th  April,  1825. — Then  personally  appeared  tho 
aforesaid  Abijah  Harrington,  and  made  oath  to  the  aforegoing  affidavit, 
before  me, 

AMOS   MUZZY,  Justice  of  Peace. 


No.  10. 

I,  JAMES  REED,  of  Burlington,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex  and  com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts,  do  testify  and  declare,  that,  soon  after  the 
British  troops  had  fired  upon  the  militia  at  Lexington,  on  the  morning  of 
the  19th  of  April,  1775,  and  had  taken  up  their  march  towards  Concord,  I 
arrived  at  the  common,  near  the  meeting-house,  where  I  found  several  of 
the  militia  dead,  and  others  wounded.  I  also  saw  a  British  soldier  march  up 
the  road,  near  said  meeting-house,  and  Joshua  Reed  of  Woburn  met  him, 
and  demanded  him  to  surrender.  He  then  took  his  arms  and  equipments 
from  him,  and  I  took  charge  of  him,  and  took  him  to  my  house,  then  in  Wo- 
burn Precinct.  I  also  testify,  that  E.  Welsh  brought  to  my  house,  soon  after 
I  returned  home  with  my  prisoner,  two  more  of  said  British  troops  ;  and 
two  more  were  immediately  brought,  and  I  suppose,  by  John  Munroe  and 
Thomas  R.  Willard  of  Lexington  ;  and  I  am  confident,  that  one  more  was 
brought,  but  by  whom,  I  don't  now  recollect.  All  the  above  prisoners 
were  taken  at  Lexington  immediately  after  the  main  body  had  left  the 
common,  and  were  conveyed  to  my  house  early  in  the  morning;  and  I 
took  charge  of  them.  In  the  afternoon  five  or  six  more  of  said  British 
troops,  that  were  taken  prisoners  in  the  afternoon,  when  on  the  retreat 
from  Concord,  were  brought  to  my  house  and  put  under  my  care.  To- 
wards evening,  it  was  thought  best  to  remove  them  from  my  house.  I, 
with  the  assistance  of  some  others,  marched  them  to  one  Johnson's  in 
Woburn  Precinct,  and  there  kept  a  guard  over  them  during  the  night.  The 
next  morning,  we  marched  them  to  Billcrica ;  but  the  people  were  so 
alarmed,  and  not  willing  to  have  them  left  there,  we  then  took  them  to 
Chelmsford,  and  there  the  people  were  much  frightened ;  but  the  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  consented  to  have  them  left,  provided,  that  we  would 
leave  a  guard.  Accordingly,  some  of  our  men  agreed  to  stay. 

JAMES   REED. 

MIDDLESEX,  ss.  January  19,  1825. — Then  the  within-named  James 
Reed  subscribed  and  swore  to  the  aforenamed  statement,  before 

AMOS    MUZZY,  Justice  of  Peace. 


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